1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to methods of administering an extended half-life GLP-1/GIP coagonist peptide. More particularly, the disclosure relates to methods for reducing weight gain or inducing weight loss, and methods for treating hyperglycemia, reducing blood glucose levels, or normalizing blood glucose levels through the administration of an extended half-life GLP-1/GIP coagonist peptide.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Diabetes mellitus type II (i.e., type 2 diabetes) is a heterogeneous group of conditions that constitute approximately 90% of diabetes in the United States. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of insulin resistance and diminished insulin secretion. Weight reduction in obese patients is associated with improvement of insulin resistance and amelioration of diabetes symptoms.
There are five widely recognized classes of oral anti-diabetic agents, sulfonylureas, biguanides, meglitinides, thiazolidinediones, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. Treatment of type 2 diabetes usually involves choosing one or more of these oral agents as initial therapy (see, e.g., Charpentier G. Diabetes Metab. Res. Rev. 18 (Supp. 3):570-576 (2002)). Despite the use of multiple drugs, however, the all-over control of diabetes remains inadequate. Only 49.8% of persons with diabetes achieve the National Diabetes Association target HbA1c of less than 7%. Instead, 29.7% of persons with diabetes have an HbA1c of greater than 8% (see, e.g., Resnick et al., Diabetes Care 29:531-537 (2006)).
The incretin hormones, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), are naturally-occurring peptide hormones. Both GLP-1 and GIP stimulate insulin synthesis and secretion in a glucose-dependent manner and do not produce hypoglycemia (see, e.g., Nauck et al., J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 76:912-917 (1993) and Irwin et al., Regul. Pept. 153:70-76 (2009)).
GLP-1 has been shown to be effective as adjunctive therapy for diabetes. Although GLP-1 therapy is associated with weight loss, it is also associated with nausea, which occurs in over 20% of patients that are treated with GLP-1 analogs.